Field of the Disclosed Subject Matter
The present disclosed subject matter relates to a food container for packaging and serving of food items, such as chicken nuggets, french fries, and other bite-size foods. The present disclosed subject matter includes a container for holding food items that can be configured to securely fit into a standard car cup holder.
Description of Related Art
A variety of food items, such as french fries, onion rings, chicken nuggets, popcorn shrimp, and other bite-size foods, are often served from small paperboard containers. These food containers can be pouch-shaped, such as commonly used for french fries, or can be box-shaped and have a lid to contain the food item, such as deli items or the like.
Containers of this type can be formed of foldable paperboard, and can be a single-use product used in large quantities. As such, it can be desirable to reduce or minimize the costs associated with materials, manufacturing, storage, shipping, manner of use, and the like, of such containers.
It can also be desirable to provide a food container with a divider therein to separate the interior of the container into more than one portion or compartment. In this manner, each portion or compartment can contain a serving of a different product, with the different products separated by the divider.
A number of food products are often dipped into sauces or condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, or mayonnaise, before consumption. Many food service establishments provide bulk containers of these condiments and small paper or plastic cups into which the condiment can be dispensed. Alternatively, the condiments may come prepackaged in a sealed container.
If the food product is consumed by a person while seated at a table, the condiment containers can be placed on the table. However, if a person wishes to walk with the container or to eat the food product while driving a vehicle, the use of a condiment becomes more difficult. Both the condiment cup and food container must be held in one hand while the other hand grasps an item of food and dips it in the condiment.
It is also known that certain food items, such as fried chicken, emit moisture or water vapor along with latent heat stored in the food due to cooking and heating. Some of this latent heat and moisture can condense on and be reabsorbed by the food item itself, making the food item soggy, less crispy, and tough to eat. Also, the water vapor can condense on the interior surfaces of the container and drip down towards the bottom of the container for the bottom pieces of the food item to absorb. If air circulation adjacent to and around the food item is poor, the water reabsorption by the food item increases since the latent heat and the resultant water vapor is further prevented from circulating away from the food item. Further, if air from inside the container not allowed to be exchanged with the air from outside the container, condensation of the water vapor on the inside of the container is more likely. Even if a small amount of water vapor escapes from the food item and condenses, or is prevented from circulating away from the food item, this amount can be enough to make the food item undesirable.
It therefore can be desirable to provide a food container with a condiment holder that is integrally formed with a food container and capable of securely retaining a condiment receptacle even when the food container is carried or jarred, along with a secure lid to contain the food item and keep the food item warm yet allow sufficient venting to prevent the food item from becoming soggy or otherwise undesirable. It also can be desirable to provide a food container configured to securely fit into a standard car cup holder.